Experts predict that in the coming years, the international health tourism market will skyrocket, as more Americans and other countries, fed up with high prices and long waiting lists, look for cheaper and faster alternatives To their health problems and those of their relatives.
What Exactly In The World Is Medical Tourism?
What could be defined as Medical tourism is the process of traveling outside the country of residence to receive medical assistance? The increase in the popularity of medical tourism has captured the attention of policymakers, researchers, and the media. Originally, the term referred to the journey of patients from less developed countries to developed nations in search of treatments not available in their homeland.
We are today experiencing qualitative and quantitative mobility hospitalized rotations, as people travel from richer to less developed countries to get to medical services. Such rotation is driven primarily by the inexpensive relative of treatments in less developed nations, the availability of cheap flights and increased consumer information on marketing and online availability of medical services.
What puts the word tourism in medical tourism concept is that individuals often stay a bit in the foreign country even after the medical procedure. Travelers can thus take advantage of their visit by sightseeing, taking day trips or participating in any other traditional tourism activity.
The cost
Medical tourism represents a worldwide, trillion-dollar phenomenon that is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. For the individual interested in medical services, the cost is the key factor involved in the decision to receive medical care abroad.
As health care costs in the US and other parts of the world are too high, many employers and insurance companies started to see medical tourism as a way to lower them. Nations around the globe increasingly begin to see the financial advantages of this emerging market, so they offer superior medical services at remarkably low prices.
The primary reason that clinics and hospitals in developing countries can lower their prices is directly related to the economic status of the nation. The direct correlation with per capita gross domestic product of the country is observed, which is a power for income levels. As a result, surgery prices are from 30% to 70% lower in countries that are ascending medical tourism when compared to the US
Quality
There are two important components of quality of service in the technical or mechanical quality of the health care sector – and the serviceable or functional quality. The technical team is at the base of the diagnostic algorithm of the patients, while the functional quality is measured by the excellent service offered in the health care centers (such as the services of staffs, nurses and, more important, Doctors towards the patient and his assistants). The quality of service in the medical tourism industry is a vital part of attracting clients.
One of the fundamental barriers in validating medical tourism is the opinion of inadequate quality. A key to overcoming it is using appropriate marketing strategies and quality assessment via internationally recognized accreditation – from a recognized institution. Such accreditation is revolving to strengthen confidence in the quality of health care.
This trust can be even stronger if accreditation is followed by an affiliation with hospitals or reputable health systems in industrialized countries. Once healthcare providers are credited and become a part of international referral networks, they may be appropriately classified for risks.
Types of Treatment
The categories of various treatments and their availability also represent an important factor in the decision to engage in medical tourism. The mоѕt соmmоn kіndѕ of procedures whісh patients рurѕuе during medical tourism trірѕ аrе еlесtіvе соѕmеtіс ѕurgеrу, dentistry, organ trаnѕрlаntаtіоn, cardiac surgery as well as orthopedic surgery.
However, a wide variety of services can be obtained with medical tourism, placing from various essential treatments to various kinds of traditional and alternative treatments. Reproductive tоurіѕm аnd reproductive outsourcing аrе grоwіng іn рорulаrіtу, which іѕ thе рrасtісе of trаvеlіng abroad to еngаgе іn ѕubѕtіtutе рrеgnаnсу, in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive methods of technology.
In addition to cost, the other main factor responsible for the increase of medical tourism is access. The lack of it, due to the unavailability of technology or prohibition in the country of origin, can later lead to medical tourism. Common examples are the cytoplasmic transfer or perhaps stem cell therapy.
With The Help of Medical Travel Agency
In this scenario, traveling to another country to obtain more convenient medical care is becoming a practice with high growth. Add to that the growing trend of taking advantage of these trips as an opportunity to enjoy a vacation, complementing medical treatments with leisure in exotic destinations; we obtain an even greater demand for the service and an even more interesting opportunity.
How?
As a Medical Travel Agency, the main objective will be to coordinate your clients’ medical and dental services (adult / pediatric) with the best prepared and most outstanding professionals in the destination countries the Travel Agency manage. Also, you should offer them the possibility of combining their treatments with the attractions and tourist activities of greater popularity in the destinations that they choose.
The main thing is that the Travel Agency must provide a guide for tourists in one place with the coordination of air and land transportation, accommodation, medical services, interpreters, medical concierge, restaurants, among others. With the certainty that all services are offered by companies that comply with applicable state and federal regulations.
The main medical services that customers demand from this type of market include elective procedures, such as specialized surgeries, joint replacements, cardiac, dental or cosmetic surgery and more.
As in every agency, the Travel Agency must master all the information about the best tourist destinations. Therefore, you should know that the activity of this sector is concentrated mainly to part of the world. Currently, Singapore, Thailand, India, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, and Malaysia are the top destinations in the world. However, do not forget that in Latin America there are also several focuses of this service, such as Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and some area there as well.
According to the news agency Europa Press, the medical experience and the international recognition of this type of services in Thailand, Mexico, and some few nations has made these nations the main destinations of medical tourism.
Five Factors When Choosing a Medical Travel Agency?
- Make sure that the facilitator’s medical partners are experienced.
- Watch out for those who say that there is no need to sign a contract.
- You have the right to ask as many questions as you want and if you do, you should get an answer within a reasonable time.
- Make sure your medical travel program includes all the costs, that there are no hidden extras.
- There should be a consultant available for you during your stay in a foreign country.
Going without access to great and affordable health isn’t good, but you can still access affordable medical care. There are multitudes of sites like medicabroad.com; MedicAbroad is an idea to brіng аn еаѕу ассеѕѕ tо quаlіtу ѕеrvісе аnd rеduсе wаіt time for аnу fіnаnсіаllу challenged hеаlth care need in any country’s health care system. Their objective is to рrоvіdе world-class quality аnd affordable health treatment аbrоаd for thоѕе раtіеntѕ that are searching аffоrdаblе аnd high-quality health care outside of their home country.
